History in the Making

Don, Heather, Kristin, and Melissa Minto, 1980

MAKING in the News and notes from Historic New England

A Chapter in the Story of Watson Farm Don and Heather Minto have lived and worked at the 265- acre seaside Watson Farm in Jamestown, Rhode Island, for forty years, almost from the time that it was donated as a working farm to Historic New England in 1979. With Don as farm manager and Heather as site manager (retired in 2016) they made many changes to improve the land and share it with the public. Don will retire in

April after a year of training the successor farm manager, Max Sherman. The Mintos will move to a farm in northern Rhode Island.

The Mintos have been worthy caretakers of the land and historic buildings, bringing new life and purpose to the property. In 2009 they were inducted into the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Agriculture Hall of Fame. They understand the importance of building community through their work, and the whole Historic New England community is grateful. Recently, Don talked with Jane Hennedy, Historic New England’s regional site manager for Southern Rhode Island, about their experiences on Watson Farm.

Jane: What are some of the best results from your work?

Don: In 1980, we saw a diamond in the rough. Our vision was to bring this historic agricultural landscape into the future as a wellrun, working family farm. We are eternally grateful for having had that opportunity.

Setting up fencing, developing water systems, planning intensive rotational grazing, and improving fertility of the soil took years to bring to fruition. Heather improved our heritage breed sheep for better textile production. We changed the genetics of the cattle herd to purebred Red Devons for grass-fed beef production through artificial breeding, probably my most noteworthy accomplishment.

Jane: Tell me more about your part in making changes for farmers and consumers.

Don: When we started, grass-fed and pastured production was not considered possible in this country. Here, we created a model for other small farmers to follow that showcased sustainable, healthy food production at the local level. I was honored to speak to the state legislature about the importance of preserving and promoting agriculture. We’re proud we moved the local food movement forward

in our community and throughout the region.

Jane: What are you looking forward to doing at your new farm?

Don: Farming, as a lifestyle choice, was a conscious decision for us, and realized a dream I had since my youth. My passion for farming will continue on a scaledback operation. Heather and I look forward to putting some rough land back into production for some quality food for ourselves, our family, and some select customers that have supported us for so many years.

Jane: What will you miss most about the 1796 farmhouse?

Don: We have very fond memories of our daughters Kristin, Melissa, and Cassie being born there and growing up to be fine young women. I remember fondly working the land as a family to produce the food on the table, but particularly we loved the conversations and good gatherings we had around our table as a family in that fine old home.

Jane: We all look forward to the times that you come here just to enjoy the beauty of the place. What are your favorite things to see from Watson Farm?

Don: Some of the incredible and lovely views of the pastoral, seaside landscape with a beautiful herd of Red Devons contentedly munching on the expansive grasslands of Conanicut Island! That and the big sky and watching the changing weather systems come and go, along with the sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, and moonsets.

Jane: You and your family are very involved with the Jamestown community. What local connections will you keep?

Don: Certainly I hope to continue to do some volunteer work assisting Max, like on Sheep Shearing Day playing some tunes for the festivities of this great event. I also hope to play at Coastal Growers Farmers Market at Casey Farm with the bluegrass band, Saddle Up the Chicken, and focus a lot more time on my music.

Jane: You’ve told me (and many others) some great stories over the years. What do you think are the most memorable?

Don: There are so many stories that come to mind. You will have to wait until I publish my memoirs and you can read them all!

Jane: Your work and your vision will always be a part of Watson Farm. What are your hopes for Watson Farm going forward into the next forty years?

Don: The vision of Tom Carr Watson Jr., when he stipulated that the farm continue as a working farm, was an amazing gift to Rhode Island. His preservation ethic gave me the energy, passion, determination, commitment, and focus to work really hard to have the farm reflect Rhode Island’s rich pastoral agrarian history. I would hope and have great confidence that under the capable stewardship of Max Sherman and Historic New England that the farm will continue to be an important agricultural entity in the region, connecting visitors to the land.

THE 2019 COMMUNITY PRESERVATION GRANT

RECIPIENTS Each year, Historic New England awards a $1,000 grant to a small or midsize heritage organization in each of the region’s six states. These grants help fund a wide range of preservation projects. The awards are made possible by the Herbert and Louise Whitney Fund Community Preservation Grant Program, named in honor of Herbert and Louise Whitney to recognize their appreciation and love of all things New England, in particular the Bishop family farm in North Woodstock, Connecticut. The 2019 grant recipients are: w The Manchester Historical

Society, Manchester, Connecticut, for digitizing and making searchable by the public 387 rolls of microfilm from the South Manchester News and Manchester Evening Herald, 1882- 1991. w The Center for Painted Wall

Preservation in Hallowell, Maine, to support Conserving the Painted Past, a symposium to be held April 3-5 on care and conservation of historic painted walls in New England. w The Danvers Historical Society,

Danvers, Massachusetts, for window restoration at Derby Summer House, Glen Magna

Farms. w The Historical Society of

Cheshire County, Keene, New Hampshire, for the installation of fifteen transparent ultraviolet light filtering window shades to protect collections at Wyman Tavern

Museum. w Borders Farm Preservation Inc. in Foster, Rhode Island, for a fireproof file cabinet for storage of historical materials maintained for public access at the historic working farm. w Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh,

Vermont, to support consultant work to complete a furniture research report and to organize collection information for access and use.